The 20 MW Stroud Solar Station is located in California's Helm. Image: Michael Cawley.

Work on the plants, which was carried out for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), began on April 1.

The 20 MW Stroud Solar Station is located in Helm, while the 15 MW Westside Solar Station can be found in Five Points.

Cupertino Electric both designed and installed the two systems under a five-year PG&E clean energy initiative, which is said to include up to 250 MW of utility-owned solar generation.

Suntech supplied the multicrystalline photovoltaic panels needed for the project. In total, 88,000 modules were installed at the Stround site and 66,240 at the Westside Solar Station. Advanced Energy, meanwhile, supplied the inverters.

The systems reportedly represent part of the first 50 MW of PG&E’s utility-owned generation. They are said to be interconnected to the electric grid with the approval of California’s Independent System Operator (CAL-ISO) at local PG&E distribution substations.

The company would not divulge how much was invested in the project. However, a spokesperson for the company did tell pv magazine that Cupertino Electric has other photovoltaic projects in the pipeline, including a "massive" rooftop-based project with Southern California Edison, and a project with Las Positas Community College in Livermore.

"There are others that we are also involved in, but can’t disclose information about at this time, due to NDA agreements," they said.